Lifestyle – China vs. North America (III): Food is Heaven (part one)

Chinese food is way beyond Spring Roll and stirfried dishes known by westerners.

Chinese are probably more famous for their love of food than any other ethnic groups on the planet. Some conclude, besides whatever growing from soil, Chinese eat whatever running on the earth, swimming in the water and flying in the sky. Although exaggerating, it’s somehow true – Chinese are very creative making food to the table, which is quite a contrast when you look at the traditional Christian food made from much selected raw materials. Even here in North America, you can easily tell the difference by comparing what the Chinese and local supermarkets carry. No matter meat or veggie, the Chinese always outnumber the locals in variety. However, what you may not know is the complex theories behind the Chinese food culture and the food crisis the whole nation of China is currently going through.

Tofu, just one of the healthy foods invented by Chinese.

The Chinese food culture, having been lasting and evolving for over 5,000 thousands years, is one of the major elements of the Chinese culture. It covers many sub-categories, such as tea culture, alcohol culture and dining etiquette. As a matter of fact, the Chinese food culture has virtually everything to do with China’s ancient philosophy, ethics, folk-customs, medical theory as well as today’s dietetics. For instance, Chinese believe every type of food, no matter veggie or meat or beans, has certain effects on human’s health. In Ben Cao Gang Mu, one of the most famous medical books in the Chinese history, the author, a famous doctor who dedicated his whole life to pharmacology, identified 1892 types of natural medicines, among which many are Chinese daily food. Today, there’re many Chinese soups designed for health improvement, following the numerous recipes collected in the book.

Chinese dumpling, or Jiao zi in Chinese, is one of the most popular Northern Chinese cuisines.

Talking about the creativity and variety of Chinese food, let me give you a quick example. In Beijing, China’s capital and a northern big city which is NOT famous for its food, there are virtually thousands of dumpling restaurants because dumpling (jiao zi in Chinese) is one of the most popular northern foods. Among the thousands, a few well-known ones offer over a hundred types of different dumplings. In one franchise restaurant, you will find whooping 400 some types of dumplings in its menu. In other words, you’ll have to spend over year to taste all of their collections if you try one type of dumpling a day. Yet, the restaurant manager, when interviewed, said the restaurant is inventing new dumplings every month. So the menu just keeps growing…

Crab is always a welcomed seafood at a Chinese banquet table. Price varies a lot depending on seasons and locations.

Gong Bao Ji Ding, a mix of sliced chicken and veggie stir fried, is one of the most known Chinese dishes to foreigners.

The Chinese cuisine, due toChina’s huge geographic coverage and various regional cultures, has numerous genres. However, the most influential and typical known by the public are the ‘Eight Cuisines’. These are as follows: Shandong Cuisine, Sichuan Cuisine, Guangdong (Canton) Cuisine, Fujian Cuisine , Jiangsu Cuisine, Zhejiang Cuisine, Hunan Cuisine, and Anhui Cuisine . The essential factors that establish the form of a genre are complex, including history, cooking features, geography, climate, resources and life styles. Cuisines from different regions are so distinctive that sometimes despite the fact that two areas are geographical neighbors their styles are completely alien.

Here are just a few examples I randomly picked from some Chinese food websites:

Xinjiang styled roast rib, juicy with a unique flavor - a perfect match of red wine.

Flower shaped steamed dumpling with a mix of veggies seasoned by chiken soup, looking good and tasting great.

A mix of multigrain rice, nuts and dates stuffed and steamed in a coconut shell - a Chinese dissert. Healthy and yummy.

A classic Sichuan cuisine which is famous for making simple low-cost food delicious.

Chinese love fish. Steamed fresh weever or bass, highlighting their original flavor, often shows up at dinner table.

(To be continued)

Man Han Quan Xi, a well-known Chinese feast featuring the best collection of Manchurian and Chinese delicacies.